Ross William Hamilton/The OregonianMike Hass is making a case for himself in Chicago.

One of every Beaver fans' favorite athletes is making some noise at the professional level again. Mike Hass, who played for the Chicago Bears Practice squad last year, is trying out for the active roster again this season. The Oregonian's Aaron Fentress has more on how Hass is progressing and about his chances of making the opening day roster. So far things are looking good for the former Biletnikoff Award winner. Check it out:

After the Bears' Super Bowl loss to Indianapolis, Hass met with team officials, who had favorable opinions about what they had seen from him during 22 weeks of practices.

"They wanted me to go through their summer program and vie for a spot," Hass said.

Hass' agent, Scott Smith from XAM Sports in Madison, Wis., said several other teams were interested but that Bears general manager Jerry Angelo always had expressed a serious interest in Hass, and it just seemed like the right fit.

With that, Hass began the process of learning the Bears' playbook, something he could do sparingly as a scout team player.

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Sensing it was his time, Hass attacked offseason workouts and caught the eye of at least a few teammates.

When three Bears defensive linemen, appearing on the Comcast Sports television show "Chicago Tribune Live," were asked who had stood out during the camps, each responded: "Mike Hass."

When told of those comments, Hass, who had not even heard of the show, was flattered.

"First thing you want to do is have the players' respect," Hass said.

Bears coaches were on vacation last week and unavailable for comment. But when wide receivers coach Darryl Drake was asked by ChicagoBears.com which young wide receiver had a chance to make the team, he responded: "You start with a guy like Mike Hass, who has done a tremendous job. He's a guy who catches the ball really well and runs good routes. He had a really good offseason."

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Still, on paper, the No. 5 spot appears to be Hass' to lose.

"All he needs to do is get a chance to play and show the type of playmaker he is," Smith said.

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